Other Indian programmes scheduled in the next quarter in Russia, in course of the festival, includes workshops of heritage and conservation, theatre, science and technology, exhibitions and festivals of Indian films.

'The ICCR is on an expansion mode and India will see many such festivals over the next three years. We are trying to take the extraordinary richness of the Indian culture to the world. The ICCR is setting up cultural cells in Tokyo and Bangkok next month, followed by Abu Dhabi and Bangladesh. We are also in talks with respective governments to set up ICCR cells like Tanzania , Brazil, Washington and Toronto. We have register our presence across the world,' Gupta said.

According to Gupta, the next mega festival was the Festival of China of 2010 followed by two festivals of India in America and Canada. The bigger shows will be interspersed with several mini-India festivals, he said.

'The festival in China will be smaller than the Russian festival, but the focus will be both on traditional and contemporary arts - a balanced representation. The Chinese want it that way. I will be going to China to finalise the schedule next month. The aim is to strengthen cultural diplomacy between both the countries,' Gupta told IANS.